- Friday, February 28, 2025
US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller reiterated the commitment to regularly discuss the matter with Pakistani officials, referring to the counterterrorism dialogue between the two nations held in March.
By: Shubham Ghosh
WASHINGTON has consistently urged Pakistan to take stronger measures in permanently dismantling all terrorist organisations, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, and their affiliated fronts, a senior official from the US state department has said.
Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, in a media address, confirmed that the US will continue to raise this issue with Pakistani officials and work collaboratively to combat shared terrorist threats.
Miller said, “We have also been consistent on the importance of Pakistan continuing to take steps to permanently disband all terrorist groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and their various front organizations.”
He reiterated the commitment to regularly discussing this matter with Pakistani officials, referring to the counterterrorism dialogue between the two nations held in March.
Miller’s comments were made in response to a question regarding the India-US joint statement issued during prime minister Narendra Modi’s recent state visit to Washington.
The joint statement reaffirmed the call for concerted action against all UN-listed terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, ISIS/Daesh, LeT, JeM, and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.
Both US president Joe Biden and Modi strongly condemned cross-border terrorism and the use of terrorist proxies. They also urged Pakistan to immediately act and prevent its territory from being used as a launchpad for terrorist attacks.
When asked about former US President Barack Obama’s remarks on minority rights in India, Miller declined to comment.
In an interview with CNN, Obama had reportedly stated that if India fails to protect the rights of ethnic minorities, there is a possibility of the country facing internal divisions. India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh and other senior ministers criticized Obama’s statement, pointing out the countries targeted by the US during his tenure.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman also criticised Obama, highlighting the bombing conducted by the US in six Muslim-majority nations when Obama was in charge.
Addressing another question, Miller confirmed that human rights concerns are regularly raised in discussions with Indian officials. He mentioned that Biden himself addressed the issue during the joint press conference with Modi, demonstrating the importance the US places on this matter.
(With agency inputs)
